It's dead

Okay, another quick update. Apparently the motherboard my friend has isn't compatible with my computer, which means basically that I'll be getting a new machine. At times like this I'm quite content I've been saving some money for these situations: in case something breaks. So now I'm not in panic over the computer. It'll cost some, but I can afford it without too much stress, gladly.

My friend said he could put a computer together from pieces if I give him a budget, which I then did. We'll then see what suggestions he makes. Supposedly by putting it together from pieces I can get better quality with the same money - though I suspect the real motivation is that he gets to play around with computer parts. :)

Well, anyway. Things are slowly moving along, so that's good. I believe at the end of this I'll owe my buddy a beer. Or possibly home-baked cookies.